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"Thus Saith the Lord..."For Ministers
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3. We are an international, non-profit, personal ministry team.
As of 2007, Jerry O'Donnell, president of Thus Saith the Lord… Ministries, is a married man with 4 lovely daughters ranging from almost 3 through 9 years of age with another child due in October. He has been serving God in various capacities throughout his life.
Born in 1965 to a lovely Catholic family and was raised as a faithful Catholic for most of his life. Served as an altar boy from elementary through first year of college. Desired do become a priest until a blessing of financial challenges altered that pathway.
While attending Penn State University, he roomed with a Protestant who challenged him to read the Bible. Never forgetting that phrase but also not ever having time enough to do so, God's hand moved.
After graduating with a triple degree from Penn State, he was employed in three different positions, state government as a computer manager, local college as an instructor, and a computer program developer for his own company. Shortly thereafter, he met and married his only wife, Carol, but it was only under the condition that she would first convert from Methodist to Catholic. Upon doing so, they were married in 1991. Within a couple years, a re-organization caused a temporary loss of position for Jerry at the state government. Given permission to bring material in to read while they find him another position he remembered his Protestant roommate's words and chose to read the Bible. Jerry found himself without any duties for exactly the amount of time it took to read the Catholic Bible from front to end.
Then God really worked upon him. His wife had many questions that he could only answer with, "The pope says so!" In addition, what he read in the Bible was not being entirely followed properly. Coming to the conclusion that he must choose his faith or the Bible, he chose wanting to know more of the Bible. It just so happened that a Protestant was willing to share Bible understanding with Jerry. Each night Jerry would study and compare notes until he found the answers he was looking for. And soon it all began to click.
In 1994, Jerry and his wife left the Catholic Church without animosity. He simply wanted the Bible and the Bible alone to be his guide. He knew that he needed to resolve the issue that the Bible is whatever a person makes it to be and found how the Bible can interpret itself. He refused to take just a word or two, a verse or two, but took all the verses on the subject and allowed the majority to point the direction and then allow the Bible to reveal the understanding of apparent contradictions. He is very confident in the word and simply wants to share his knowledge.
One method of sharing is by learning. He was taken under by a Protestant minister and trained by apprenticeship in addition to six years of book study. So he is not just a graduate but comes with experience.
Since then, he has held one-on-one and group Bible studies, planted a church, and has become an evangelist. He has even been a fill-in pastor for multiple denominations in the interim between permanent pastors.
With his desire to encourage all to seek for a "Thus Saith the Lord…" for all that they believe this ministry was formed in 1997. In 1998, the first publication of the free newsletter to the general public was produced. In 2001, the first children's publication of the free newsletter was published. And now in 2007, a newsletter for ministers is now available.